10 Essentials: David Chang

David Chang, chef and owner of the perennially popular Momofuku restaurant empire in New York, has had a busy several months: He opened a new place in Sydney called Seiobo; launched Lucky Peach, which has single-handedly re-imagined the food magazine; and revamped a portion of Ssäm Bar, transforming it into Booker + Dax, an experimental cocktail bar (think science lab with electric pokers, centrifuges, and liquid nitrogen). We knew that the "Chef of the Year" title we awarded him back in 2007 was prescient. Chang carved out a few minutes to tell us the 10 things that he can't live without.

Photo: Courtesy of David Chang

1. Fly Fishing

"I can't really fly down mountains skiing like I used to and I hate golf. This is the only thing I can do now and get better as I get older. It's like playing chess with nature."

"Western breakfasts suck. There are many things to admire about Japan but this is the one thing I love the most and probably the only time I eat breakfast. Fish, eggs, soup, salad, veggies; all in the tiniest bites. It's a full meal, but it's so refreshing."

Photo: Getty Images

5. White Heat by Marco Pierre White

"He is the fucking dude and is still the benchmark for all other chefs. He summarizes the culinary profession—the passion, the pouring yourself into it; but also the reality of the kitchen world, which is not so glamorous. He doesn't give a fuck."

"I keep trying to listen to new music but am always stuck with these guys. Pavement, the Silver Jews, Superchunk..."

Photo: Courtesy Images

8. California King Bed

"My number-one priority this year is to buy one. I feel very strongly that, besides my own emotional ineptitude, the second reason for relationship trouble is bed space...so important. That's my dream."

"This dude's been making butter forever, and you can see the 40 years of farming on his face. He makes the best butter in the world. You can't buy it in the U.S. because it's made from raw milk and we have the stupidest dairy laws. Seriously, my last meal on Earth would be hot bread with this butter on top."

"This is the best thing I've ever signed up for. I travel a lot, and now I never have to wait for more than four minutes to get through the airport to the gate. I recently heard that only 250,000 people in the world are signed up for this. That's insane."

David Chang, chef and owner of the perennially popular Momofuku restaurant empire in New York, has had a busy several months: He opened a new place in Sydney called Seiobo; launched Lucky Peach, which has single-handedly re-imagined the food magazine; and revamped a portion of Ssäm Bar, transforming it into Booker + Dax, an experimental cocktail bar (think science lab with electric pokers, centrifuges, and liquid nitrogen). We knew that the "Chef of the Year" title we awarded him back in 2007 was prescient. Chang carved out a few minutes to tell us the 10 things that he can't live without.